11 hours before the GRE

This is a practice essay I wrote right before the GRE. The computer scored it 6 out of 6. I think it's decent. My "unofficial" GRE scores were 700 on the verbal and 780 on the math, for a total of 1480 (the same exact score I got on the PSAT.) It's not actually weird that the math is higher, because the math section is no harder than the SAT but the verbal is impossible.


Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views.

“It is unfortunate that today’s educators place so much emphasis on finding out what students want to include in the curriculum and then giving it to them. It is the educators’ duty to determine the curriculum and the students’ duty to study what is presented to them.”


In today's increasingly fast-paced, soundbyte-oriented society, educators feel pressure to attract students' attention by catering to their preferences. The cry for "student-centered" classrooms in primary school and for the reduction or abolishment of distribution requirements in college are evidence of this phenomenon. Student-centeredness can be commendable in some circumstances (for example, helping students with different learning styles,) but it is unfortunate- and eventually detrimental - when student preferences drive curriculum. Experts, not student consumers, should be in charge in the classroom.

Even the classroom is not a haven from the consumerism all too pervasive in our society. Teachers of low-demand subjects such as German know the pressure all too well. They are forced to make their classes more attractive to students, or face losing their jobs. Knowing the superficiality of children, these teachers may decide to attract them with incentives such as field trips, less homework, or food (perhaps tied to the curriculum, but certainly not central to it.) Consumerism is even more widespread in private schools and colleges than it is in public schools. It is well known that there is a correlation between high grades and high professor approval ratings. Which came first? Is the professor such a fantastic teacher that the students earn high grades? Or did the professor give out high grades in order to pander to students? The "make the customer happy" rating system makes it impossible to know.

Students are certainly consumers, but they are not educated consumers. The most fundamental reason why students cannot be curriculum coordinators is their lack of general knowledge and life experience. Students are children. How many elementary students even know that the disciplines of psychology or calculus exist, much less why they should study them? Adults have an infinitely more sophisticated worldview and can see the necessity for subjects whose practical application may not be immediately evident. High school math, for instance, is not used very often in everyday life, but it develops the critical ability to think logically and problem-solve. Freshmen psychology majors may not feel like taking statistics, but their progress in the field would be severely limited were they not capable of analyzing data. Adults understand that children must eat their vegetables because adults have an understanding of the big picture. We should no more let students drive curriculum than we should let them eat a diet of ice cream and potato chips.

However, in order to develop students' decision-making powers, they should have some choice in both food and education. Children should not be reduced to automatons who regurgitate what the teacher lays out. They should- and do- have increasing freedom to choose healthy courses of study for themselves as they grow older. The earliest freedoms are small: which state would you like to study? What kind of story would you like to write? In high school, students may take electives to develop a particular area of interest, such as computer programming or theater. Care must be taken not to make electives too "sexy," and not to let students drop core courses in order to take fun classes. College students, once they have completed core requirements, have the freedom to choose their major as well as unlimited freedom to take electives. Within a major, 100-level classes provide an overview of the subject, 200-level classes are more specialized, and 300 and 400-level classes let the student study only what interests him or her most. The educational system is set up to reflect the wisdom of increasing choice with increasing maturity and knowledge.

Today's parents and educators need to be grown-ups. They need to direct students toward what is beneficial for their development, taking a long view rather than trying to cater to children's whims. Do students need choice in what they study? Of course, but with limits. Will students be more interested in studying subjects they have chosen themselves? Yes, but broad general requirements can open their eyes to possibilities they never even knew existed. By staving off consumerism in favor of doing the right thing, educators will give students what they not only want but need: a good, solid education.